The lightbulb as we know it may be gone from store shelves by 2016. A coalition of energy specialists, environmentalists and lighting manufacturers (including the largest, Philips Lighting) announced their intention to eliminate completely the incandescent light bulb and replace it with more efficient alternatives. GE, however, is not part...
Prescription drug spending has been the fastest growing segment of national health expenditures. As the federal government assumes greater financial responsibility for prescription drug expenditures with the introduction of Medicare part D, federal policymakers are increasingly concerned about prescription drug prices. The report examines the change in retail prices and...
Using statewide data on health spending and uninsurance rates, this paper investigates the impact of Blue Cross conversions on health care costs and coverage. It finds mixed results, with some conversion states improving their performance on either or both measures relative to the national average and others experiencing a decline....
The tradition of health insurance coverage from community-based nonprofit organizations1 has been around for decades. The recent wave of highly publicized initial public offerings of health insurers, including a number of Blue Cross and Blue Shield Plans, has led some to speculate that the nonprofit health insurer is an endangered...
NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. -- The TriZetto Group Inc. (NASDAQ: TZIX) announced that Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City has become the seventh major health plan to select TriZetto's CareAdvanceTM Enterprise software to automate its case, disease and population management programs. The CareAdvance solution, which TriZetto introduced in May...
Blue Shield of California BSC originally planned to perform all Healthcare Insurance Portability and Accountability Act HIPAA compliance work using in-house resources. Integrating its new processing platform with back-end systems proved more complicated than it originally expected. A unique partnership with EDS helped ensure the organization met its deadlines. Enacted...
Salespeople at BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee BCBST needed to replace a homegrown contact manager with a full-featured CRM solution that: could be tailored to meet changing business needs; was affordable; salespeople would use. A Sage CRM SalesLogix system was designed to meet current needs, as well as update and improve...
Blue Cross Blue Shield plans are suffering along with the rest of the healthcare industry. According to a study by Sherlock, a health-plan consulting firm, the Blues saw operating income drop 18 percent in 2007, despite a 7.4 rise in revenue. That parallels the experience of other major insurers such...
Since American Medical News was kind enough to compile the data subscription required, I thought I'd offer up this quick pair of tables on the nation's largest nonprofit and for-profit health insurers. These accompanied an article about the proposed merger of the Blues plans Highmark and Independence Blue Cross, and...
Times just aren't getting any better for nonprofit Blue Cross and Blue Shield health plans. Not only has operating income hit the skids, but pressures to merge or convert to for-profit status keep rising. by David P. Hamilton
Anthem Blue Cross sued for rescission-settlement efforts -- Los Angeles City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo sued the health-insurance company, a unit of WellPoint, charging that it illegally sought to reach settlements with policyholders by offering them $1,000 in exchange for dropping all legal claims. Anthem and several other health plans recently...
BlueCross BlueShield Venture Partners, a new venture-capital arm of several Blue Cross and Blue Shield managed-care organizations, has made its first investment, funneling $5 million into Initiate Systems, which provides a key application for health information exchange. Eleven Blues plans formed the VC fund with the help...
Eliza's Phone-Based, Speech-Enabled Outreach Integrated With TriZetto's CareAdvance Enterprise([R]) NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. -- The TriZetto Group Inc. (NASDAQ: TZIX) today announced its selection of Eliza Corporation's phone-based, speech-enabled outreach programs as an integrated part of TriZetto's CareAdvance Enterprise([R]) care management application and Healthwise([R]) Smart Campaigns....
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City and Bon Secours Health System Use Video as a Service to Empower Healthcare Consumers and Improve Satisfaction CHARLESTON, S.C. -- Benefitfocus Media today announced Video as a Service VaaS, a new healthcare communication service that educates and...
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Rhode Island Sign on to Speed Financial Settlement and Improve Cost Transparency NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. -- The TriZetto Group Inc. (NASDAQ: TZIX) today announced two new customers for the company's...
Standards-Based Data Access Leader to Share Best Practices, Technologies and Patterns for Utilizing Enterprise Data at DataServices World BEDFORD, Mass. & NEW YORK -- DataDirect Technologies, the unparalleled leader in data connectivity and mainframe integration and an operating company of Progress Software Corporation (NASDAQ: PRGS),...
NetuitiveInc. , the leader in self-learning performance management software for system andbusiness service management BSM, today announced new virtualizationmanagement capabilities in its Netuitive Service Analyzer product.Netuitive Service Analyzer is the industry's first self-learningcorrelation software for managing performance of enterprise applicationsacross mixed physical and virtual environments....
Daptiv ,the on-demand leader in collaborativebusiness software , today announced that leading research firm Gartner,Inc. has positioned Daptiv in the Leaders Quadrant of the 2008 Gartner Magic Quadrant for IT Project and Portfolio ManagementApplications (1), available here: http://www.daptiv.com/document_library/analysts/Gartner_MQ_2008.pdf . DaptivPPM is an on-demand collaborative project...
Web-Based, Self-Service Software is First Step in Initiative to Boost Overall Profitability, Appeal of Health Insurance Plans SAN FRANCISCO -- SAS, the leader in business intelligence, unveiled today its SAS Health Plan Intelligence initiative directed at increasing competitive advantages for health insurers and assisting their...
Daptiv , theon-demand leader in collaborative business software, today announced thelaunch of the Daptiv Greenhouse, a forum in which Daptiv users collaboratewith one another and Daptiv on product innovation. The first full-cyclecustomer-vendor collaboration forum, Greenhouse brings true transparency tothe product development process. Daptiv Greenhouse enables users to...
